Kim Byung-kee, the head of the Democratic Party of Korea’s floor operations, addressed former President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 21st, stating, “Even former President Chun Doo-hwan, who you say you admire, did not behave as poorly as you did by passing the blame onto his subordinates to protect himself.”
Kim made the comments during a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly that day, saying, “If you have even the smallest amount of concern for the nation’s interest and honor, I hope you will remain silent, stop making justifications, and go to prison to spend the rest of your life in remorse.”
On the 19th, Kim mentioned the testimony of former President Yoon, who appeared as a witness in the trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. Kim stated, “He casually commented on the G20 and APEC, using phrases like ‘countries that are somewhat better off’ and ‘leftist leaders who aren’t original members,'” and noted, “It appears he was so intent on undermining other nations that he wasn’t aware of how international conferences are organized or how to tell the difference between member and invited countries.”
During the trial, former President Yoon said, “Just before the imposition of martial law, I participated in multilateral meetings in Peru and Brazil in South America, where countries that were somewhat more prosperous were seeking assistance,” and “They had invited a significant number of so-called populist leftist leaders. They weren’t original members.” He added, “I might have told former Prime Minister Han, ‘Even if it’s difficult next year, you should go to such events,’ because I intended to concentrate on key diplomatic efforts.”
Kim stated, “It’s possible to envision the mental approach and perspective he brought to summit diplomacy,” and noted, “If he had been responsible for significant matters such as the Korea-U.S. tariff discussions, the nation would have faced destruction.”
In the meantime, Kim said, “We are certain to rejuvenate the regional economy by implementing proactive financial policies and enhancing regulations,” and continued, “We will keep reinforcing the government’s and public sector’s role until the energy of the private and local economies is revived.”
